The First Rule Of Flying
by Flaming Flying V
Summary: "You can know all the math in the 'Verse, but take a boat in the air you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of worlds." Joker/FemShep. First fic. Better summary soon.
1. Akuze

Why hello there. I am Vii and this is the first fic I have posted on here. I must say, I love reviews! =D

Disclaimer: The Mass Effect series is owned by Bioware. I only own copies of the games. I also don't own Malcolm Reynolds or _Serenity. _Joss does. /sadness

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"_But it ain't all buttons and charts, little albatross. You know what the first rule of flyin' is? Love. You can know all the math in the 'Verse, but take a boat in the air you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of worlds. Love keeps her in the air when she oughta fall down, tells ya she's hurtin' 'fore she keens. Makes her home._"_ - Malcolm Reynolds; Serenity_

_Akuze: 2177_

The base had lost power from the generator hours ago. It was dark except for the emergency lights in the main room and the occasional glow of an Omnitool to resend a distress call or check if it had even been heard. After the first few attacks, there were only two of us left out of fifty. Me and Commander Neeson. Her and I had managed to get back to the base before we were drug under or killed by the acid. My left eye could barely open due to the wound. It had been caused by a piece of shrapnel that had flown my way after a fuel tank exploded. I could even taste the blood that had trailed down my face.

Her voice chimed in once again over her Omnitool "This is Commander Neeson of the fifty-seventh Alliance brigade. We have been stationed on Akuze and there has been a horrible incident." she paused to take a deep breath to regain her calm "We were attacked by these huge, worm-like creatures during the night. Out of fifty, only two of us are alive. We are trapped in our base, but all power has been shut down. Lieutenant Shepard and I cannot make it to our shuttle to escape due to the creatures. Requesting pickup from anybody." her voice started to rise in panic again "I don't care if the ship hearing this is human, turian, asari, or hell even batarian. We need help. At this rate we won't make it through the night."

"Do you really think someone will hear us in time?" I asked, keeping a death grip on my pistol.

She sighed and slumped against the crates behind her "I really don't know what to think kid." I noticed her wince and clutch her stomach and she fell back.

"Commander, are you okay?" I asked

"I will be. I will be." She replied "It's just a little wound. I got Medigel on it."

I got off the top of my create, only to see her wince again. I came over and removed her arm from her stomach. Underneath was what looked like melted armor and raw, bloody flesh underneath it "Ma'am, that's not little at all. What caused you to get the wound?"

"I got hit by some of the acid on the last push, whenever one pulled Toombs and Ulrich under." She gritted her teeth "It was only a little and I put Medigel where it was, but I don't think it's working. It got bigger."

My thoughts drifted to what was happening to her._ Was the acid slowly eating her? And if Medigel didn't help, what was I going to do?_ She muffled a scream then looked at me "Kid, I don't think I'm going to make it until someone gets here. I need you to do something for me. It's a very important matter"

"Ma'am-"

"Shepard, you've been under me since you graduated. Now that I'm slowly melting, you can call me Evie."

I sighed "Evie, don't say things like that. We're going to get out of here. We'll get you fixed up."

She shook her head "We don't even know what those things are. There is more than likely no cure for this, especially since Medigel didn't help and the acid spreads too fast. I highly doubt I'm going to get out of this alive."

She was right, and I couldn't hold back the tears anymore. I felt one slide down my face as I asked "What do you want me to do ma'am?"

Commander Neeson gripped my shoulders tight, making me look directly at her "I need to to shoot me."

I sat there is shock "Shoot you? But-"

"This is no way to die Shepard." She said with agony in her voice, something I had never heard from her. In my eyes, she had always been a strong woman. Always keeping cheerful even in rough spots. "Getting eaten by acid is not a beautiful death. I'd rather be put out of my misery, not suffer."

"Ma'am, I don't-"

Our conversation was broken when something chimed over Commander Neeson's Omnitool. "Commander Neeson, this is Capitan Lindley of the the _SSV Berlin_. We have caught word of your distress call and are en route to your location. ETA two hours. Stay strong soldiers. Lindley out."

I smiled with relief, but the panic was still clear in my voice "You hear that ma'am? They're coming to get us!"

"Kid, I'm not going to last that long." She said in a sad tone.

"Comma- Evie, I can't shoot you." I pleaded "I just can't!"

Her eyes narrowed in sympathy, but I could still see the pain in them "I know you don't want to. No one would want to. But when a soldier is suffering from a slow and painful death that you know can't be prevented, there's nothing else you can do. Kid, if the roles were reversed, I wouldn't let you suffer. It's not right." She gritted her teeth and squinted her eyes in pain "All soldiers deserve to go out in a blaze of glory. A beautiful death. Not be slowly killed. Please Shepard. End it for me." I still sat there in silence. "Kid, don't make me say "that's an order."."

As much as I didn't want to do it, I held my pistol up to her temple. She gave one last look to me. A smile. "I'm so sorry Evie. You were a great Commander. It was an honor serving under you." I said while choking back sobs.

"It was an honor having you Sandra. You're going to go far in this sick galaxy. Maybe you can even make it better." she said. She closed her eyes and seemed to relax "Thank you."

I closed my eyes as well. Seconds later, I pulled the trigger.

Two hours later, the rescue arrived. Just like they said they would.


	2. SSV Berlin

_Usual Generic Disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect. /sadness. Reviews are well loved by all._

_SSV Berlin: 2177_

I had been waiting in Captain Lindley's office for hours while his ground team scoured the colony and surrounding areas for any survivors of my platoon. Even though I had told him that he would just put his crew in danger, he sent one out. From what I could hear over the comm feed of the guards outside, what I had thought had been proven right. There hadn't been any more survivors. It was just me. I was the only survivor of the fifty-seventh.

_ You wouldn't be the only one if you just waited for help._ I waved that thought away as quickly as it came.

On my arrival, they had questioned me about the gunshot wound to Commander Neeson's head when they found me. Even though I had told them the truth, even played the audio logs on her Omnitool, they still checked me for any mental instability. I didn't blame them. Any soldier would've gone mad down there. It was a wonder I didn't. I didn't even know why I wasn't an emotional wreck right then.

Six hours after pick up, and about three after the medical tests and them patching up my eye area, Captain Lindley came to visit me in his office. Seeing him shocked me a little. Living on Alliance ships most of my life, every captain has been an older person. Lindley however, was actually quite young. He had to be only a few years older than me. "Lieutenant Sandra Shepard?" he asked, sitting down at his desk.

I nodded "That's me."

"Captain James Lindley." He said, holding his hand out for me to shake. "I wish we were meeting under better circumstances LT."

"You have no idea sir."

"I see they patched your eye up." He began "Is everything okay with it?"

"It's going to take a while to heal and I will most likely have a nasty scar the rest of my life, but they said I shouldn't be blind. The head medic said if I did end up blind, I could kick his ass for it." I said.

Lindley chuckled. That whole conversation seemed way out of place. I guessed it was his way to try and make me feel better. "It was Mike wasn't it?"

"The bald one? Canadian accent?"

He nodded "Yeah, it was him. Don't worry, he knows what he's doing. But anyway, back to what I meant to do." He pulled out a holopad for me to look through. I was greeted by gruesome images I had been trying to get out of my head as soon as they had pulled me off of that hell hole "As you know, after we rescued you and recovered the body of Commander Neeson, I sent my ground team to look for any survivors and the bodies of those that were lost. I'm sorry to say, we've found the bodies of thirty-five, the other thirteen we couldn't locate. No survivors. The common cause of death seems to be the acid of those creatures. It..."He coughed nervously "Melted through the skin and several vital organs. I've never seen anything like it. It's not even on the database."

"Commander Neeson even said she didn't know what it was."

"Speaking of the Commander, how did she acquire her injuries?" The look in his eyes softened when I didn't reply. "I know you've had to explain it before, but it's protocol."

I sighed, and the horrible memory that seemed so long ago played over in my head. "There were about ten of us left. We had been holding up the the base when the Commander said we needed to make a break for our shuttle. We loaded up our guns, and went outside. The first of the group made it to the shuttle, but those things had come back. Corporal Toombs had gotten drug under as well as our gunnery chief, Rosaline Ulrich.

"As it was happening, the Commander grabbed my arm and ordered a retreat back to the bunker. I didn't see what happened to to the others, but when we made it to the door, the screaming and gunfire stopped. It was just her and I after that. We regained ourselves and she sent out another distress call. The one you most likely heard. After it was sent, that's when I noticed she was in pain. The acid from the creature had gotten on her. It had melted her armor and was eating through her abdomen. She said she had put Medigel on the wound, but it didn't work.

"After we had gotten your message, she was in extreme pain. And..." I looked up to see Captain Lindley still looking at me, still taking in everything I was saying with a look of sympathy. "She asked me to end it sir. She said that this wasn't the death a soldier deserves, and that to not make her say that it was an order. She was right. I couldn't let that happen to her. The acid was going too fast"

"So, you ended it for her LT?" Lindley asked.

I nodded slightly and hung my head "Her last words were "Thank you."."

The Captain got up from his chair, and walked over to me "Shepard, I know it may seem hard to accept it was the right thing to do, but it was. It's just not human to leave another person to suffer." He put a hand on my shoulder, in a comforting gesture "We will probably still be in orbit for a day or two, then we have to report our findings to the Alliance back on Arcturus. Admiral Hackett also wished to have a word with you in person. But as of now, you're free to make yourself at home here on board until we get there."

"Thank you sir."

His hand left my shoulder "It's the least we can do. You've been through a lot." The door to his office opened as he stepped near it "I hope you don't mind, but I asked the Mess Sergeant to cook you up something nice. Go ahead and help yourself. I'll be on the bridge if you need anything." he gave me a smile then went on his way.

I got up from my chair, and for the first time in what seemed like days, I smiled.


	3. Arcturus Station  2182

Time for more background story, woo hoo!

General disclaimer: I own nothing, Bioware owns all. Reviews are well hearted 3

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_Arcturus Station: 2182_

The shooting range at Arcturus' Alliance facility wasn't anything spectacular. It was just a large room with different vantage points varying with what weapon you were working with. Depending on the days, various storage crates of different sizes, builds, and even cargo were put onto the range. That way, the battle sims never got old. You never knew when a box you were taking cover behind would crumble or explode. When I came back after getting off the _Berlin_, I found out that they took out the exploding ones during pistol and assault rifle runs. It was a shame, seeing one of the marines you were training with get scared shitless because the box they shot just blew up was quite a laugh.

I had guessed it was a good thing though. I would've hated to screw up and ended up with a third scar on my face. The one I had received on Akuze from the fuel tank had healed up nicely and just left a pinky wide line over my eyebrow. The second one I had received was from when a batarian pistol whipped me, but it was just a small indention on my upper lip I could only see in the right lighting. I knew one thing, Mike on the _Berlin_ sure did know how to heal up cuts.

I had gotten up to the sniper perch, put in earplugs and pulled out my rifle. I checked the sight, surveying the room with it. The room had been filled with a large assortment of crates today. Some in high stacks farther in the back, some on their own and closer to the front. The ones in the front would've left me wide open for the mechs, but as long as I made sure none of them made it past the small strip of the room where there wasn't any cover, a frontal assault wouldn't have been a problem.

I looked over at the two way mirror across the room and gave the signal for the sim to start. The people at the controls released five LOKI mechs onto the floor. I knocked them all out with a head shot as soon as the sim began. After that, row after row of mechs were went out. All trying to get at me with concussive rounds, but I was faster, dealing them each a shot in either the head or the heart. A good twenty minutes had passed when a heavy mech was sent out. That big boy took some more work. I used my Overload ability on my Omnitool to wear down its defenses, then dealt four shots to it's head and it finally fell.

God, I loved the thrill of sniping.

"Commander Shepard?" I looked from the range to see a man in an Alliance captain uniform standing in the doorway of the sniper perch. His skin was rather dark, and even though my plugs were still in, his deep voice reverberated in the perch.

I took out my earplugs and sat down my rifle and faced towards the man. I had been promoted to Lieutenant Commander two years after Akuze. I was still getting used to the title at the time. "How can I help you sir?"

He held out a hand for me to shake "Captain Anderson."

I took his hand in a firm grip and looked at him inquisitively. "Thee Captain Anderson? It's a pleasure sir." I commented.

He chuckled "The pleasure's all mine. Now, I'm sure you'd like to know what I'm here for right?"

"It would be nice, but take your time." I commented, leaning against the railing of the sniper range. "Believe me. I'm not going anywhere." I rolled my eyes. Ever since Captain Lindley was transferred and my position on the _Berlin_ wasn't reinstated, I had been stuck on my home turf of Arcturus. The only things I had shot in the past year being training mechs.

"I know." Anderson said. "You haven't been on anything since you were promoted. And before that was just acting as part of the ground team for the _SSV Berlin. _Not much action there was there?"

I smirked "Yeah, Lindley was never the type to get in any big scuffles, well, except for the one run in with batarian slavers, but he was still fun to serve under. Saved my ass on Akuze and gave me a position on his ground team, so I owe him a lot. You read my files I take it? "

He nodded "Of course. I like to get to know those I ask to be on my crew."

I stood there dumbstruck "You want me on your crew? What for sir?"

"You've heard of the collaboration deal with the turian fleet correct?" He asked.

I nodded "My dad's a pilot. The whole thing with the turians seems to be his favorite topic lately. He's been following it since he caught wind of it. It's nearing completion isn't it?"

"That's right." Anderson said with a nod. "And that's why I'm here. I've been assigned as captain for the ship. And I need someone who can handle being my second in command."

"You're asking me sir?"

"No one else in the Alliance has the potential you do. There's no one else I'd rather have for that position than you Shepard."

I must have had the dumbest look on my face because I could see Anderson holding back a smile. "Sir, I accept your offer."

Anderson and I shook hands "It's good to have you Commander."

_Arcturus Station: Ward 235, Shepard's apartment _

I pressed the comm button on my terminal. "Computer, give me a real-time connection to the carrier _SSV Noether _I want to talk to my father, Flight Commander Travis Shepard._"_

"Flight comma-, oh, hey Sanders!" My dad's cheerful voice said over the comm. I smiled and shook my head. Even though I was twenty-seven, he had still insisted on calling me the same thing he had since I was a kid. "To what do I owe this rare privilege of a comm feed from my daughter?"

"I got a new posting today. Given what it's on, I guessed you'd want to know."

My father sounded intrigued even over the comm "Oh really now? Hmm... It isn't here with your good ol dad is it?"

I scoffed jokingly "Come on, like I could handle being on the same ship as you. You'd never let me live it down."

He laughed "You're right, I'd be waiting for the first little mistake you'd make and POW!" he said with what sounded like a clap of his hands. He always did like talking with his hands. "The whole damn carrier would know."

I shook my head at his silliness again. "But anyway, I was at the shooting range today and I was visited by Captain Anderson. He offered me a position as his XO on the ship he was picked to have." I said. "And it's that one that you've been oh-so-in love with ever since it was announced."

My dad was silent on the other line, then replied "You're kidding me Sanders."

"Nope. Not at all." I said "I'm supposed to report to Earth in a few months to undergo evaluation before the shakedown run."

"I can't believe my daughter is going to be on the _Normandy_. I'm envious kiddo. Trust me, I would've jumped at the chance to get behind those controls in a heartbeat." He said with a sigh "I hate to say it, but I have to go. It's time for my shift."

"It's okay dad, I know you're a busy man."

"That I am. Be sure to tell your mom about your new posting too, I'm sure she'd love to hear it." He said.

"I love you dad."

"I love you too Sanders. Shepard out."


	4. Arcturus Station 2183

_General Disclaimer: You know the drill by now :3_

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_SSV Rand: 2183_

I had only been on Earth for a couple weeks for evaluations and conditioning, but in the first few days I was there, I had already figured something out. I hated Earth. Sure, it was the home planet of the human race, my both of my parents grew up here and if it weren't for it I wouldn't even exist, but being there just felt wrong. The air had an acidic tang, the weather was just horrible, and no matter where I went, it was cramped. I guess that's what happens when someone like me, who has lived on space ships and stations all of her life, goes to Earth.

I was glad I had gotten off of that that rock when I did.

On the ship ride down from Arcturus, I had heard that the poverty level throughout the planet was pretty bad. Arcturus had poverty. Hell, every station had poverty. Even the Citadel had it. But Earth was worse. Then, I wouldn't have guessed that someone would've tried to mug me as soon as I left the base. I was proven wrong pretty quick.

I could understand why I would've seemed like an easy target. I hadn't been wearing my Alliance uniform that day and had traded it for a white t-shirt, jeans and an old jacket. I looked just like any other civilian that night on her way to get a drink. The girl had been tailing me since a few feet out of the base. After a while, she had started to get a little too close for comfort, and that's when she made a snatch for my jacket pocket. I was quicker.

I grabbed her wrist and proceeded to twist it and pin it behind her back. She screamed and tried to struggle out of the hole as I grabbed her other flailing arm. "Kid, you picked the wrong person to try to pickpocket." I snarled.

Getting a better look at her, my rage subsided. I observed she must've not been the most well off person. Her clothes were kind of dirty and ratted and she had a bandage on her cheek that had a fair amount of dried blood on it. _Gang violence. She's been hanging around with the wrong people. _I thought to myself. The scary thing was, other than that, her and I had the same features. Shoulder length brown hair, blue eyes, lightly tanned skin, and high cheek bones. We could've been mistaken as sisters any other time.

"Look! I- I'm sorry lady!" the girl said in a panicked voice "Please! Let me go!"

One of the fellow snipers back at the base said it wasn't worth trying to talk to the kids that ran the streets either looking for handouts, or just wanted to kill you or sell their bodies for a little bit of credits. Most were already too far gone and saw accepting help as a weakness. Looking at the girl, I thought I might as well have tried to do something good.

"I don't think that's going to happen just yet." I said, loosing the venom in my voice in favor of a more friendly tone. "Now, if you promise you won't run off, I'll let go of your arms. Okay?"

"What do you want?"

"I just want to ask you some questions."

The girl stopped struggling and sighed in defeat "Okay. I promise I won't run off."

I let go of her and thankfully, she kept her word and didn't run. She just stood there and rubbed her wrist where I had a hold on it. "What's your name kid?"

She didn't meet my eye contact. "Alyce Stills."

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen ma'am."

I huffed with amusement. "You know Alyce, I wouldn't have expected manners from someone who just tried to steal from me."

She scoffed "You'd be surprised how many good people end up like this."

"Why did you end up like this?"

"Gang violence took my mom from me a couple weeks back. Landlord kicked us out, I ran out of the money I had and had no where else to go. Now I'm lucky enough to get enough credits together to get me something to eat."

I dug in my pocket and took out several credit bills. I didn't even bother seeing how much. I held them out to her. "Here. All you had to do was ask. There was no need to resort to stealing."

Alyce looked at me in confusion "Why are you-"

I smiled "Not everyone in the galaxy is a selfish jerk."

She took the bills from my hand and smiled. "Thank you! No one has ever done this!"

My expression softened. I had never been in her shoes. Even when my parents were on duty and I was left at home alone. "But hey, you don't want to stay on the streets like this do you?"

"No... I really don't."

"Look, I'm in the Alliance military, and I know they're always looking for new recruits. Signing on would help you get off the streets, even see the galaxy."

She averted my eyes. "I was told that they don't take street urchins."

I took out a business card I was handed when I first got on the base. It was for the recruitment and relations officer there. "The man here should be able to help you." I said as I handed her the card. "I can't force you to do it, but just remember that's it's always an open option."

Alyce smiled at me as she took the card. "I'll consider it. I can't thank you enough ma'am. No one's been this nice to me ever since my mom died."

"Please, it's Sandra." I said, returning the smile. "I'll see you around. And don't spend all of those credits in one place."

After her and I parted ways, I didn't see her hanging around outside of the base anymore. I had planned on asking the recruitment officer if he had a kid come by wanting to sign up, but between advanced rifle training and infiltrating drills, I never had the chance. When I finished my time on Earth and boarded the _SSV Rand _to go back home, I couldn't help but wonder what happened to the scruffy little pickpocket. I chose to not let it bother me for the rest of the trip.

The _Rand_ was an hour away from Arcturus when I had chosen to get some coffee. I hadn't slept since I boarded on account I couldn't stand sleeping pods, so I had to keep awake somehow. I was talking with one of the engineers in the mess hall when my Omnitool beeped with a message. It was from Captain Anderson and was short and to the point: "The construction on the _Normandy_ has been completed. Crew are able to board in the next few weeks. We await your arrival on board."

_Arcturus Station, Alliance Docking Bay 147: 2183_

I had seen a lot of ships in my lifetime, but none of them had compared to the one I was standing on the airlock platform looking at. I had finally understood why my father had obsessed over the _Normandy_. She had all of the fine points of what made both human and turian ships what they were. All with the beautiful sleekness that would obviously accompany a vessel built for stealth. I pressed my hand against the cold glass smiled, thinking of how much my father had wanted to serve on her. I chuckled "Well, at least one of us is." I said to myself.

A voice sounded from behind me, making me jump. "Sorry, what?"

A few feet behind me stood my company. He was wearing the same, normal, navy blue Alliance uniform that I was, except he had a matching hat. He also carried himself on crutches, but I dismissed that as a random injury.

"Sorry," I said with a laugh, "I thought I was alone." I looked back at the Normandy, sitting in the docking bay. "My dad's a pilot and he's been obsessing over her ever since she was announced."

My companion came to join me by the window "I don't blame him. She's a beautiful ship."

"Sure is." I agreed. "I'm assuming you're serving on her as well?"

"Believe me sweetness, I'm going to be doing a lot more than serving on her." he said with a wicked grin.

I raised an amused eyebrow at the 'sweetness' comment "Why do you say that?"

"You haven't seen a ship fly until I've been behind the controls."

"So you're the guy who's ass my dad wants to kick?" I asked with a laugh.

He shrugged "I guess you could say that."

"So what do they call you flyboy?" I asked "I need to know the name of the person that's going to be pulling my ass out of trouble."

"Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau, but everyone calls me Joker. Yes, like the Batman villain." He explained "And I'm sure things will get awkward really quick if I keep calling you Sweetness, so what should I call you instead?"

"Commander Sandra Shepard." I replied. I noticed that he immediately lost the cocky smile, and the expression that returned was that of what could only be described as 'Oh Crap'. "What?"

"You mean the same Commander Shepard who's the XO?" He asked. I nodded, and he sighed and shook his head. "Great. I sure started my service here off on a good note by calling one of the galaxy's most deadly snipers 'Sweetness'. Aren't I something?"

I laughed "It's okay Joker, I knew you were kidding." I held out my hand to him "Still friends?"

He shook my hand and smiled again "Still friends."

I motioned to the airlock with my head "So, shall we see how she looks on the inside?"


	5. SSv Normandy

**_Happy Valentines Day everyone! I wanted to get this out in time for a dedication to my boyfriend of almost two years, who got me hooked on Mass Effect. I love you Tyler :3_**

**_Also, the dialogue might not be the most accurate. I let a friend of mine borrow the first game, so it's just from memory D: But I am happy to say that I get into the actual game storyline next chapter :D  
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**_General disclaimer: I own nothing, Bioware owns all. Reviews are almost as good as chocolate :D_**

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_SSV Normandy: 2183_

I was already extremely impressed with the Normandy from the moment my new shipmate and I went through the airlock. Everything was by far more advanced than any other ship I had been on. The _Berlin _had even been new when I had been there, and it paled in comparison. The only bad part was that I was still stuck with bunking in a sleeping pod. But it wasn't like I knew how to get around them.

Every time I had been stuck on a ship either serving or tagging along with either my mom or dad, and I had been stuck with a sleeping pod, I always found other random places where I could sleep and not get caught. They always had found it weird that I couldn't sleep in them, but after a while, they gave up trying to get me to. My dad had even let me snooze in the co-pilot seat on times when the bridge was clear.

After sending a message to both of my parents, I got a quick lunch and went to a briefing Anderson had called me to. There I received some new and improved N7 armor, which I desperately needed at the time. The armor I had before then was the same N7 set I had received when I graduated from the program seven years before. Like my skin, it had received scars from both Akuze and from my time on the _Berlin_. It was both refreshing and sad at the same time in a way. Like the Normandy was the start of something new.

Putting away my armor in my locker, I came across the new pistol my mom had gotten me for my promotion to Commander. I had only used it for training runs, but if those had been any indication, I was going to have fun with that gun. A part of me had wished she had gotten me a new sniper rifle. The one I had was older than my old armor and had been sticking the past few times I had used it. I made a reminder to myself to get a new one when I had the chance.

I walked up the stairs to the CIC to see that there still wasn't that many people aboard. I had seen a total of ten other people since I boarded. I had made my way up to the bridge, where I found Joker lounging in the pilot's chair with his hat over his eyes. Thinking he was asleep, I began to turn around and walk away.

"Hey Commander, did you need something?" I looked back around to see him looking back at me, moving his hat back to it's normal spot.

"Not really. I was bored so I wanted to see what you were up to." I said, walking back over "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up."

"It's okay. I wasn't that deep into sleep anyway." he said "But you wanted to see me? I'm flattered."

I chuckled and sat down in the co-pilot's chair. Whoever occupied it hadn't arrived yet, so there was no harm done. "I like to get to know the people I'm going to work with, so tell me about yourself."

"You checked my file didn't you? Well, I'll tell you the same thing I told Anderson. You want me as your pilot. I'm not good. I'm not even great. I'm the best damn helmsman in the Alliance fleet. All of those recommendations on my files, I earned every single one. Not one was given to me for charity because of my disease." He seemed to get a little angry towards the end.

I was taken aback by that and my face fell into one of confusion "I'm sorry Joker, I didn't even know you were sick."

"You mean... You mean you didn't- Oh crap." He sighed "Okay, I have Vrolik's Syndrome. Brittle bone disease. My bones are practically hollow, too much force and they'll shatter. But I've learned how to handle it and I'm perfectly capable for the job. Put the _Normandy_ in my hands, and I can make her dance for you. Just don't ask me to dance unless you like the sound of snapping shin bones."

"I didn't mean to offend you." I said, averting my eyes to look at the ground. Something I always did when conversations got awkward.

"No hard feelings. I just assumed you knew." He pulled a deck of cards from one of his pockets "You up for a card game?"

I eyed the deck in his hand "Sure. Do you always carry that?"

"Usually. Solitaire passes time during transit, or they're just fun to hurl at unsuspecting bystanders." He began shuffling "Any game preference?"

"Wait, you throw cards at people?" I asked

"Only if I know they won't mind. I only aim to hurt when they're pissing me off. My dad taught me how to throw them when I was a kid." He chuckled "I accidentally cut his lip once. He stopped for a while after that. How do you feel about War? It takes forever and we both have a lot of time to kill."

"Sounds good." I said, taking half of the deck. "And remind me never to piss you off. We can't have the XO being taken out by a card to the jugular."

He shrugged and threw a card down on the bulkhead "Hey, at least you'd have one of those death stories that turn into a "This one time" thing."

_Day Three_

"Lady and gentlemen, the game is Skyilian Five." I said, tossing the deck of cards onto the mess hall table. As Joker began shuffling them, I sat next to Elaine Tennant, one of the engineers. "Now, I don't know about you all, but I play for keeps. So do not be afraid to loose some credits."

Across the table, Lieutenant Alenko eyed me with an unamused expression while drumming his fingers on the surface of the table. "What if you don't have any credits to loose?"

He had arrived a day after Joker and I, and Anderson had informed me that he would be joining me on the ground team. Because of that, I had asked if he wanted to join us for a game. I was better off getting to know him a little then than in the midst of getting shot at. Joker had just laughed at me and said that it was just a ploy because I had the hots for the biotic already. For that, I knocked his hat sideways. He didn't like that much. It was then where I learned that he wasn't kidding about the card throwing.

Shrugging, I said "It just depends on what else you have to loose Lieutenant." I then grinned mischievously at the pilot "I'm going to enjoy that hat Joker."

He scoffed and began dealing "I'm going to enjoy your reaction to my hat hair Commander." He placed the rest of the deck in the center of our group, then looked over at the engineer. "What about you Tennant, what have you got to lose?"

The dark haired, young woman rolled her eyes. "Credits. There's no way I'm getting kicked off my first gig from a card game gone wrong." She replied, picking up her cards.

"Who said anything about strip poker?" I said defensively.

"I'd rather this not turn into that ma'am." Alenko added.

I sighed "Fine, fine. No clothing items and I won't keep any other random ones, but Credits are fair game"

Everyone stated their agreement, and the game went on.


	6. SSV Normandy: Eden Prime Approach

_Hello mah lovelies. Sorry about not updating in almost three months (GEEZUS). In late February/early March, life just seemed to take a bad turn for me, involving sick cats, breakups, and college crap. Then a friend offered to edit this, and she never got back to me on it, so hopefully it sounds okay. It sounded good in my head anyway XD. But now I'm back, and somewhat peppy. Even though I just found out info about ME3 that made me rage something fierce. Bioware, if you love us, you'll fix it D: I . But hopefully I'll get the next chapter out a lot sooner! :3_

_General disclaimer: I do not own Mass Effect. If I did, the news I just recieved would've never happened. Stoopid..._

_**SSV Normandy: June 2183**_

"I hate that guy." Joker said once Nihlus, the turian Spectre that had been assigned to go with the Normandy on her shakedown run, was out of ear shot.

Two weeks after I had boarded the Normandy, we left Arcturus for the shakedown run to the colony of Eden Prime. A day or so before we took off, the turian had came aboard. Ever since, people had been a bit more on edge than they had been. I had only seen enough turians in my life where I could count them all on one hand, but I really didn't see the reason to be so freaked out. Sure the whole Spectre thing with them being the Council's elite, or if they still harbored ill will towards turians from the First Contact War, would've put anyone on alert, but Nihlus had kept to himself, and I had no reason to hate the bird-lizard-feline-like aliens, so I didn't see the problem.

I had chosen to go to the bridge to watch the first mass relay jump myself, decked out in my brand new armor for the special occasion. After the Spectre left, it was just me, Joker and Kaidan.

Kaidan gave him an odd look from his co-pilot seat, my usual spot when he wasn't occupying it "Nihlus gave you a complement, so... you hate him?"

The LT and I had became better friends since he came aboard. Sure, he and I weren't nearly as good of friends as I was with Joker, but we got along well enough.

"You zip up your fly on your jumpsuit when you come out of the bathroom, that's good." Joker ranted "I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. So that's incredible!" He turned away to go back to looking at the bright orange controls. "Besides, Spectres are trouble. I don't like having him on board. Call me paranoid"

"You're paranoid. The Council helped fund this project. They have a right to send someone to keep an eye on their investment."

"Yeah, that is the official story, but only an idiot believes the official story."

Joker had a point "They don't send Spectres on shakedown runs." I commented.

"See? There's more happening than the Captains' letting on."

"Joker! Status report." Anderson's voice said over the comm.

"Just cleared the relay, Captain. Stealth systems engaged. Everything looks solid." He replied

"Good. Find a comm buoy and link us into the network. I want mission reports relayed back to Alliance brass before we reach Eden Prime."

Joker nodded subconsciously "Aye aye Captain. Better brace yourself sir, I think Nihlus is headed your way."

There was a slight pause over the comm "He's already here Lieutenant.". Joker shook his head at the bad timing while Kaidan gave him something around the lines of an 'See what you did?' look. "Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing."

"You get that Commander?" Joker asked, looking back at me.

The tone in Anderson's voice had me wondering. "He sounds angry. Something must've gone wrong with the mission." I commented.

The pilot scoffed "Captain always sounds like that when he's talking to me."

"I can't possibly imagine why." Kaidan added as I turned away and began walking the way down the CIC.

Outside of the comm room I was stopped by Jenkins, the other member of the ground team other than Kaidan and I, as he was in a conversation with Dr. Chakwas. I had read in his files that he had just went through training and several other smaller missions, and that the Normandy was his first placement. I was a bit uneasy about having such an unseasoned soldier on my team, but I was going to give him a shot.

"What do you think Commander? We won't be staying on Eden Prime too long will we? I'm itching for some real action!" Jenkins asked with all the enthusiasm any new Alliance member had.

The doctor gave him a disapproving look "I sincerely hope you're kidding Corporal. Your 'real action' usually ends with me patching up crew members in the infirmary."

I smiled "You need to calm down Corporal, a good soldier stays cool even under fire."

"Sorry Commander, but this waiting is killing me." Jenkins said "I've never been on a mission like this before. Not one with a Spectre on board."

"Just treat this like every other assignment you've had and everything will work out."

His expression turned crestfallen "That's easy for you to say. You proved yourself on Akuze. Everyone knows what you can do." That comment made me wince in memory. I had also noticed Chakwas had coughed awkwardly and nudged the young soldier. He must have not taken the hint. "This is my big chance! I need to show the brass what I can do!"

"You're young corporal, you have a long career ahead of you." I began in warning "Don't do something stupid to mess it up."

He just smiled "Don't worry ma'am, I'm not going to screw this up!"

I had hoped I knocked some sense into the young soldier. "Sorry, but the Captains' waiting for me." I said. Jenkins saluted me and I went into the comm room.

When I finally reached my destination, instead of Anderson being there in the comm room, it was just Nihlus. "Commander Shepard. I was hoping you would get here first." he said "It'll give us a chance to talk."

I raised a scarred eyebrow "What about?"

The turian began pacing the floor, still addressing me as he did so "I'm interested in this world we're going to. Eden Prime. I've heard it's quite beautiful."

"I've never been there. But I hear they say it's a paradise."

"Yes, a paradise. Serene, tranquil, safe. Eden Prime has become something of a symbol for your people hasn't it? Proof that humanity can not only establish colonies across the galaxy, but also protect them. But how safe is it really?"

I couldn't help but feel more suspicious."Do you know something?" I asked

He turned back around from the comm screen to face me "Your people are still newcomers Shepard. The galaxy can be a very dangerous place." the Spectre crossed his arms, gave me a hard stare and asked "Is the Alliance truly ready for this?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but the sound of the door opening and Anderson's entrance cut me short. "I think it's about time we told the Commander whats' really going on."

Nihlus nodded. He turned back to face me "This mission is far more than a simple shakedown run."

Score one for Shepard and Joker, Alenko zilch. "I figured there was something you weren't telling us."

"We're making a covert pick up on Eden Prime. That's why we needed the stealth systems operational." Anderson explained.

"There must be a reason you didn't tell me about this sir?" I asked, a hint of frustration rising in my voice. I hated the feeling of being left in the dark.

"This comes down from the top Commander. Information strictly on a 'need to know' basis." I nodded to show I understood and the Captain went on. "A research team on Eden Prime unearthed some kind of beacon during an excavation. It was Prothean."

"I thought the Protheans vanished fifty-thousand years ago."

"Their legacy still remains." the Spectre added in "The mass relays, the Citadel, our ship drives. It's all based on Prothean technology."

"This is big Shepard. The last time humanity made a discovery like this, it jumped our technology forward two hundred years. But Eden Prime doesn't have the facilities to handle something like this. We need to bring the beacon back to the Citadel for proper study."

"Obviously this goes beyond mere human interests Commander. This discovery could effect every species in Council space."

"It never hurts to have a few extra hands on board." I said, giving the turian a minor smile.

"The beacon is not the only reason I'm here Shepard."

"Nihlus wants to see you in action Commander." Anderson said "He's here to evaluate you."

"I guess that explains why I bump into him every time I turn around." I said with a laugh.

"The Alliance had been pushing for this for a long time. Humanity wants a larger role in shaping interstellar policy. We want more say with the Citadel Council. The Spectres represent the Council's power and authority. If they accept a human into their ranks, it shows how far the Alliance has come."

"You held your own on Akuze." I held back another wince. Akuze seemed to have been everyone's favorite topic to bring up that day. _Why don't they just have me face down a Thresher Maw first hand while we're at it with bringing up that fucking world?_ "You showed not only courage, but also incredible skill. That's why I put your name forward as a candidate for the Spectres."

_Courage my ass... _I shook that thought away and asked "I assume this is good for the Alliance?"

Anderson nodded "Earth needs this Shepard. We're counting on you."

"I need to see your skills for myself Commander. Eden Prime will be the first of several missions together."

"You will be in charge of the ground team." Anderson began. "Secure the beacon and get it on the ship ASAP. Nihlus will accompany you to observe the mission."

I nodded "Just give the word Captain."

"We should be getting close to-"

Anderson's words were cut short by the sound of Joker's voice on the comm. "Captain! We got a problem!"

"What's wrong Joker?"

"Transmission from Eden Prime sir." Joker explained "You better see this."

"Bring it up on screen."

All of my thoughts about how simple and quick this mission would be was quickly wiped away by the sounds of gunfire and explosions. The video was that of the local unit stationed there being attacked my an enemy that was neither seen nor mentioned, and of one of the soldiers pleading for evac. A type of panic I knew firsthand. About halfway through the video, a strangely shaped ship appeared on screen, obviously startling the soldiers. By the looks on their faces, they hadn't seen anything like it. And to be honest, in all my life of being a pilot's daughter, I hadn't either.

The feed had cut off to static abruptly. Joker's voice came over a couple of seconds afterward "Everything just cuts off after that. There's no comm traffic at all. It just goes dead."

"Reverse and hold at thirty-eight point five." Anderson commanded. The image of the strange ship appeared back on screen. "Status report."

"Seventeen minutes out Captain. No other Alliance ships in the area."

"Take us in Joker. Fast and quiet." the Captain had a grim look on his face as he turned to look at our turian companion. "This mission just got a lot more complicated."

"A small strike team could move quickly without drawing attention. It's our best chance to secure the beacon."

"Grab your gear and meet us in the cargo hold." Nihlus nodded and proceeded to walk out of the comm room. He then addressed me as I looked away from the foreboding ship on the screen "Tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up Commander. You're going in."

I nodded. Before walking out, I gave the screen one last look. The unknown ship had a sense of mystery and danger to it. I didn't like the feeling I had in my gut when I saw it.


End file.
